Giants #1 (of 5), Phatsville Comix, 2012

Written and Illustrated by John Stewart.

28 pages, black and white, colour cover

Cover price: $AUD8.00

Available from Ace Comics and Comic Warriors in Brisbane and Pulp Fiction Comics in Adelaide.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phatsville-Comix/71645272100

Australian comics have produced some real gems in recent years, like Sherlock Holmes: The Dark Detective, Eek and Changing Ways to name just a few. Created by dedicated artists and writers in lounge rooms and garages across the country, these comics might not have the financial backing of the big comics’ publishers, but the vision and passion of the artists is just as strong.

Phatsville Comix is no exception.

In between reading entries for the Australian Shadows Awards, I managed to read the first issue of a new comic from Phatsville – Giants, written and illustrated by one of the publisher’s founders, John Stewart.

Giants is a really cool concept, sort of Clash of the Titans in a post-apocalyptic Edwardian landscape. The world has become overrun by giants and while many simply hide from them in fear, there are others who choose to hunt them.

I really enjoyed this comic. It had a rich and dark atmosphere. Stewart has a unique drawing style which has just the right balance of light and shadow and his character design has a real Hieronymus Bosch feel to it.

The story was intriguing, with just enough mystery to make you want to read more and there are also some very nicely drawn action scenes and splash pages.

If there is one downside, it’s in the text, but nothing that couldn’t be prevented by some preliminary editing.

Overall this was a fine start to what could be a memorable limited series and it’s great to see Phatsville taking a more mainstream approach to its comics.

Review by Greg Chapman